After two days of racing, Nicolas HUGUET (FRA) and Alessandra SENSINI (ITA) are leading their respective classes at the Mistral World Championship at Cesme, Turkey.

Huguet has put in some strong results, three bullets in six races, to lead the fleet ahead of team mate Julien BONTEMPS (FRA) who sits 6 points behind.

A move back up into a medal position for the 2003 ISAF World Champion Przemek `Pont' MIARCZYNSKI, a position he will be hoping to hold in his preferred stronger conditions which are currently on offer in Cesme.

Nations who are chasing the final seven Olympic Qualification places on offer in the men's event and who are currently lying in strong positions include Switzerland with Richard STAUFFACHER currently placed 48 overall, Mexico with David Miery TERAN in 53 overall, Korea with Duckpil OK in 58, the Czech Republic's Tomas MALINA in 66, Tunisia's Foued OURABI in 75, Bulgaria's Vesselin NANEV in 83 and Austria's Martin SANDRIESER in 84. Behind these seven countries, sit Uruguay, Seychelles, Belgium and Slovenia.

Top 20 Men After 6 Races

Helm

Nation

Race 1

Race 2

Race 3

Race 4

Race 5

Race 6

Total Points

1

Nicolas Huguet

FRA

1

1

2

1

3

(BFD)

8

2

Julien Bontemps

FRA

4

1

6

(14)

1

2

14

3

Przemek Miarczynski

POL

3

2

(18)

12

4

1

22

4

Nick Dempsey

GBR

7

4

5

4

2

(8)

24

5

Nicolas Beudou

FRA

2

8

1

(11)

7

6

26

6

Tom Ashley

NZL

2

10

2

10

(16)

2

26

7

Joeri Van Dijk

NED

3

11

10

(13)

1

4

29

8

Toni Wilhelm

GER

10

3

5

(32)

8

4

30

9

Fabrice Hassen

FRA

1

6

9

(32)

8

7

31

10

Ricardo Santoz

BRA

5

(17)

4

5

9

8

31

11

Gal Fridman

ISR

7

10

6

6

3

(18)

32

12

Jon-Paul Tobin

NZL

8

2

(15)

1

6

14

33

13

Samuel Launay

FRA

(12)

8

1

2

11

11

33

14

Piotr Myszka

POL

13

3

11

(14)

6

3

36

15

Alexandre Guyader

FRA

14

7

12

(17)

4

1

38

16

Ertugrul Icingir

TUR

4

9

3

9

21

(29)

46

17

Moritz Martin

GER

26

5

(42)

5

5

5

46

18

Maxime Oberemko

UKR

11

6

(15)

9

14

6

46

19

Kevin Stittle

CAN

9

(22)

13

8

5

17

52

20

Ivan Pastor Lafuente

ESP

10

9

7

15

13

(BFD)

54

Sydney Olympic gold medallist Alessandra SENSINI of Italy continues to lead the women's fleet from the 1996 Olympic gold medallist Lee Lai SHAN of Hong Kong. Barbara KENDALL of New Zealand, who won silver at the 1996 Games and bronze at the Sydney 2000 Games, is third overall. Defending world champion, Lee KORSITZ lies in 5.

For many of these sailors whose nations are already qualified to the Olympic Games, their performance at the Mistral World Championships will determine their final selection to represent their nation on the startline in Athens.

There are six nations pursuing the five remaining slots in the women's event, with Cyprus, Tunisia, Hungary, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Russia all in the frame to claim their place. Cyprus is currently the top placed of these nations, with Gabriella HADJIDAMIANOU sitting at 44.

Top 20 Women After 4 Races

Position

Helm

Nation

R1

R2

R3

R4

Total Points

1

Alessandra Sensini

ITA

1

1

-8

1

3

2

Lai Shan Lee

HKG

7

2

3

(DSQ)

12

3

Barbara Kendall

NZL

4

(8)

2

7

13

4

Jessica Crisp

AUS

(27)

9

6

3

18

5

Lee Korsitz

ISR

5

(25)

5

12

22

6

Romy Kinzl

GER

(23)

5

12

6

23

7

Faustine Merret

FRA

10

(20)

1

17

28

8

Natasha Sturges

GBR

2

10

16

(23)

28

9

Jian Yin

CHN

(28)

4

10

15

29

10

Jeanne Mailhos

FRA

12

6

(20)

13

31

11

Jannicke Staalstorm

NOR

15

12

(34)

5

32

12

Lisa Vidal

FRA

14

7

13

(16)

34

13

Sigrid Rondelez

BEL

9

(28)

24

2

35

14

Mingshuang Lai

CHN

(DSQ)

3

26

8

37

15

Charline Picon

FRA

(29)

21

9

9

39

16

Anja Kaeser

SUI

8

13

(33)

20

41

17

Anna Galecka

POL

19

17

7

(21)

43

18

Synthia Gros

FRA

6

16

(23)

22

44

19

Masako Imai

JPN

20

(23)

22

4

46

20

Olga Maslivets

UKR

17

14

15

(30)

46

Today is a layday for the men, but the women are scheduled to sail a further twor aces to get back on schedule. The Championship continues through until the 17 April. A total of 12 races are scheduled in each of the men's and women's events.

Tom Burton (AUS) and Alison Young (GBR) hit the right note in the Laser and Laser Radial at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as they took out the top honours and qualification spots to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final.

It was double Australian gold in the Paralympic classes. Matt Bugg (AUS) came out on top in the 2.4mR whilst London 2012 Paralympic SKUD18 gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) were triumphant in the two person keelboat.

Lithuania's Juozas Bernotas came out on top in the Men's RS:X whilst Russia's Stefania Elfutina was triumphant in the Women's RS:X. Both sailors claim the first Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots whilst Jock Calvert (AUS) and Joanna Sterling (AUS) picked up the Oceanic spots for the Emirati finale.

There was some fast paced action in the 49er and 49erFX Medal Races at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen (AUS) and Maia & Ragna Agerup (NOR) claimed the honours and Abu Dhabi final spots.

A tight group of five young Papua New Guinean (PNG) Laser sailors are stepping up their 2015 Pacific Games competition program using this week's ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne. PNG is one of 33 countries represented at the important Oceanic event, the largest Olympic sailing regatta in the southern hemisphere.

Melbourne, Australia will host the final Rio 2016 Paralympic Games qualification regatta in 2015. With just under one year until the event, the 2015 IFDS Worlds was launched at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne.

ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne kick starts the journey to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with qualification spots and top ranking points available in the Australian city.

Four boats in the Volvo Ocean Race celebrated rounding the venerated landmark of Cape Horn on Monday, a pleasure cruelly denied Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) after the Chinese boat's mast was broken early in a dramatic day on Leg 5.

The wind played dirty tricks all day in Palma on the sailors and race committees who had to juggle with big shifts and different pressure. From 4 to 20 knots, and reaching 40 in some gusts, the wind turned around the bay playing with everybody's nerves.

Ghosting across the line in the inky blackness of a Mediterranean spring night, finally slicing through the finish line set on the very waters where some 40 odd years ago he cut his teeth as a young, aspiring sailor harbouring great dreams, at 01:47:00hrs local time Guillermo Altadill and his talented, ever reliable Chilean co-skipper Jose Muñoz secured second placed in this third edition of the Barcelona World Race, the round the world race for two crew which left the Catalan capital on December 31st 2014.

Algoa Bay brought lighter conditions on Sunday, and after a postponement waiting for the wind to settle, the race got underway in 7 knots of breeze from the south-east. Ted Conrads and Brian Haines from the USA were the pathfinders, and opened up the gate for the fleet as they sailed out to the right-hand side of the course.